Impending Death by Chloroform,: Resuscitation by raising the Epi-
glottis, and direct Insufflation.—One of M. Ricord’s pupils has just
addressed a letter to this surgeon, in L' Union Mddicale, whereiu he
states that he succeeded in rescuing from the grave a patient of his (who
was being asphyxiated with chloroform,) by following M. Ricord’s plan
of resuscitation. The lady was having some verrucae removed from the
vulva, &c., and had been narcotized with the handkerchief and pledget
of lint impregnated with chloroform within it. She was rather hyste-
rical, and had had a fit when under the influence of chloroform some
time previously. In this instance, narcotism was obtained after seven
minutes’ inhalation, and the handkerchief was removed from the mouth
from time to time. After the first verructe were excised, sensibility
returned; chloroform was given again, and in four minutes the whole
operation was finished, but the patient was pronounced pulseless, and
the ear applied to the chest could perceive no cardiac sounds. The
operator, in great alarm, passed his finger into the posterior part of the
patient’s mouth, and found the epiglottis covering the entrance of the
larynx. By pulling the tongue forward, and pressing the base of the
epiglottis, the larynx was freed, and the young surgeon then applied his
mouth upon the patient’s and vigorously insufflated the lungs, whilst
one of the assistants (there had been two all along) pressed down the
parietes of the thorax. This was repeated twice for five minutes at a
time; and' the patient, who a few moments before, was a mere corpse,
gradually recovered, and has done well.—Lancet.